episode_0002

It goes without saying, but there was no death penalty.

Karia fiercely supported me as if she would defy any rebellion if I were to be executed, and the Emperor was also on my side.

Nevertheless, even though the Emperor and Karia admitted my guilt in front of everyone, they couldn’t completely erase my crime, so a thorough investigation against me was conducted.

I obediently handed over all the evidence, and I had to disclose all the money written in the evidence presented by Duke Pellings.

But that’s where it ended.

“If you had just recovered all the embezzled money for the national treasury. Besides, you should consider admitting your own guilt obediently. That’s enough.”

The Emperor still trusted me and believed that one mistake could be made, so he quickly concluded the investigation. Crown Prince Adran, who was in charge of the investigation, strongly argued that a stricter punishment should be imposed, but the aging Emperor, whose judgment had declined, valued sentiment over reason.

Ignoring the Crown Prince’s rightful opinion, he promptly concluded my investigation.

Was that all? After all the investigations were over, the Emperor secretly called me and we had a private conversation to comfort me.

“Why did it have to be like this? Why? There was no need to create an opportunity for Pellings to tear you apart. Why did it turn out like this? What am I supposed to do when loyal subjects like you disappear?”

The Emperor even shed a few tears.

Watching him, it was evident how much damage the Emperor’s foolishness and Randor’s seduction had caused to the Empire.

However, even though the Emperor was senile and foolish with diminished judgment, he at least upheld the minimum principles.

“The nobles are in an uproar. It is the prevailing opinion that the punishment is too lenient if it only ends with recovering the openly embezzled funds.”

The Emperor looked at me with a remorseful expression.

“The decision has been made for you to be exiled. The destination has not been determined yet.”

And then he subtly asked me.

It meant that he was giving me the choice.

Since it turned out this way, it meant to rest well in a secluded tourist spot until things quieted down.

And those were the exact words I had been waiting for.

“Please allow me to go to Lord Elond’s territory.”

“What, Lord Elond?!”

The Emperor looked at me in surprise.

Lord Elond.

The farthest region of the empire, located near the long Rako Mountain Range that divides the vast continent into the western and eastern continents.

It goes without saying that it was an extremely cold and treacherous place, so close to the Rako Mountain Range that it could freeze the plains of Rimnakal in the north.

There were no natural resources whatsoever, only snow, cold, and all sorts of monsters. It was a desolate land where even the lord of the territory, Lord Elond, had abandoned his rule long ago and now there was no one managing it.

“What if something happens to you when you go to such a place?!”

The Emperor shouted angrily, but I was serious.

I may not be as devoted as the original Landoor, but I am still a fan of this novel. I had planned out which parts to talk about.

“I have taken care of the insults on your behalf, Your Majesty. I have returned all the considerable wealth I collected to the national treasury. What I took from my vault is also the amount that unscrupulous merchants in the capital unjustly took from the people. Please return what belongs to the people back to them.”

At my words, the Emperor tried to shed tears. Looking at his teary eyes, I hadn’t finished speaking yet.

“And please wait for just one more year, Your Majesty. I will make Elond’s territory the wealthiest land in the empire. With that money, I will fill the national treasury, so I ask the wise Emperor to make our country prosperous with that money.”

“Oh! My! I didn’t even know there was such a meaning behind it!……..”

The Emperor grabbed onto me and burst into tears.

He had become truly foolish in his old age and illness, but fortunately, he was useful to me right now.

“Do as the Lord says. I will send you to Lord Elond’s territory. No, not just there! Elond’s territory has been without an owner for decades. The original owner, Lord Elond, also gave up control of the territory a long time ago, so it is up to my discretion to whom I will give that land. I appoint you as the lord of that land.”

“The victory is ours!”

I slammed my head on the ground.

For now.

Escaping from the corrupt tricks, betrayals, and conspiracies that filled the capital was my first priority, and luckily, my plan worked.

“What on earth were you thinking?!”

As soon as I entered the Merchant Guild’s meeting room, there was a man who yelled at me. With oily skin and a receding hairline forming an “M” shape in real-time, he looked like the epitome of a greedy merchant who wouldn’t shed a drop of blood even if stabbed.

“Don’t get too excited. Cal Hansen.”

“Do I look like I’m not excited right now?! How much money did we lose?! And why on earth did you approve it?!”

Cal Hansen shouted angrily, but I remained calm.

Randor, having gained power by the Emperor’s side, unified various merchant guilds in the capital. It was all for the convenient act of devouring them, a treacherous reason indeed.

And before me stood Cal Hansen, the one leading the unified merchant guild. The wicked traitor Randor had cast a mind-control spell on Cal Hansen, making him commit suicide if he ever betrayed him. In other words, he was a loyal subordinate to Randor with no possibility of betrayal.

“Marquis Fellings did quite a number on you. He managed to uncover nearly 40% of the visa funds. It must have been painful.”

“Well, how much is that in terms of money?!”

“About 5 million gold, I suppose?”

Cal Hansen seemed ready to burst. Knowing that without me, he would lose the protection of the Emperor’s power and the reliable support of Karia, he could only hold back his curses.

“Why are you doing this?!”

“Calm down, Cal. We still have 60% left, and it hasn’t been discovered yet.”

That’s right.

Even after being ripped off like that, this treacherous bastard had accumulated an extraordinary amount of nearly 7.5 million gold in various secret funds. It was still an overwhelming sum, but as a merchant, Cal couldn’t forgive losing 5 million gold that he didn’t need to lose.

“Let’s hear the reason, at least. Why are you acting like this?”

If there’s no valid reason, I’ll confront him with a determined look, as if threatening with my fist. I smile at him in that manner.

“The reason isn’t that important. What I plan to do after this is what matters. I’ve been exiled as Viscount Elond.”

Finally, he bursts out in anger.

“Are you calling that an excuse? Viscount Elond is one of the highest ranks! You wasted 5 million gold. Exiled! What kind of bullshit is this?!”

“I’m going there to start a business, Karl.”

Karl suddenly grabs the back of his head, suffering from high blood pressure, and sits down on the chair, looking frustrated.

“Isn’t the business we have in the capital enough?”

“No. I want something greater.”

“What do you mean by greater… Hey, Lord Lendor! Why are you suddenly acting like this? Did something go wrong?”

Normally, I would never tolerate such aggressive remarks, but I didn’t reprimand him. My current actions were clearly irrational. I had to act irrationally to survive.

“I will make the Empire stronger.”

“What?”

Karl looked at me as if he was seeing a tiger that declared itself vegetarian. A traitor like me talking about making the Empire stronger. That was a lie used to deceive people, not something to be said among the rotten conspirators.

“I will make the Empire stronger. Look at the current state of the Empire. We’ve been at war for two years because of the monsters in the north. The invincible Karia did an excellent job of subduing the enemies, but many people died. The country is being manipulated by a powerful minority, and the people are suffering from their plunder, becoming poorer. Is this… Is this a normal country?”

“Well, what does that have to do with us? As long as we live well and eat well, it’s enough!”

Finally, anger bursts out. It was a despicable line that belonged to a treacherous merchant, but I seriously shook my head.

“I’ve made up my mind to make the Empire stronger. This cannot be changed.”

“Ah, my Lord. Why are you like this, really?”

Karl Hanson, who had only believed in the power of gold coins, found God for the first time in my words. But well, it didn’t matter what kind of reaction this guy showed. To prevent my assassination, I had to reform the rotten empire from its core.

Why?

Even at this moment, despite the wounds of the foolish emperor and the Northern Expedition that had not healed throughout the empire, the resistance forces were growing steadily due to the despicable Landoor, who was trying to incite another rebellion with the backing of the Felings Duke, invincible Karia, and the wealth collected from the capital city.

And in the final part of the novel, the rebel forces rise up on a nationwide scale.

The Emperor orders Karia to suppress the resistance forces. As Karia ruthlessly suppresses the starving commoners driven by resentment, Adran, filled with hatred towards the empire, joins the rebels, and Celeine, favored by grace, attempts to assassinate the Emperor and kill Landoor but fails and is executed by Landoor in the square.

From that point on, the already gloomy novel becomes even more decrepit and bleak to the point of abomination. To prevent this situation, we must first feed the starving commoners driven by resentment.

It was foolish to go and persuade the nobles in the capital one by one, shouting for them to reduce taxes and provide benefits for the people. Many people already held tight control over existing privileges, and there was nothing I could do about it. Therefore, I had to create new privileges and markets myself.

“I will dig a tunnel in the Raco Mountains. I will connect the Western Continent and the Eastern Continent, opening up a trade route. And through that, I will bestow immense wealth upon the empire. It will be wealth for the people!”

Does it become empty and helpless when anger reaches its peak? Karl Hanson looks at me with an expression that says, “Do whatever the hell you want.” and bursts into laughter.

“Do you mean to say they’re going to dig a tunnel through the Laco Mountains? Does that even make sense? Do you know how treacherous those mountains are? If a trade route is established between the Western and Eastern continents, it will generate astronomical profits. The Merchant Guild alone would make in one day what they earn in the capital in a year. But why hasn’t anyone attempted it until now, despite knowing all this?”

The Laco Mountains were considered a place where gods had filled with malice. The peaks were ridiculously high, and they were surrounded by perpetual ice, making them dangerously slippery. Snowstorms were frequent and irritating, to say the least.

Since it was an inhospitable land that humans didn’t venture into, various monsters still lurked there, untouched by human conquest. The idea of digging a tunnel in such a place was treated as no different from teaching ballet to orcs.

“Yeah, Carl. You’re right. It’s a difficult task. But what if we mobilize the Ironblood Legion, which still has 7.5 million gold in remaining funds and is at its peak in terms of military power and skills, shortly after returning from the recent northern expedition?”

“You had plans to mobilize the Ironblood Legion to conquer the capital! Why are you suddenly giving up on a highly feasible plan and talking about digging a tunnel in the far west of the empire? Why?!”

Because if we execute that highly feasible plan, the ending will be a bloody and tragic spectacle in the square.

Despite Carl’s pleading for me to change my mind, I never wavered from my thoughts.

No one could stop me, and a few days later,

I headed to the Elond March with Carya, leading the Ironblood Legion, and carrying my remaining funds of 7.5 million gold that I had scraped together from the capital, unbeknownst to Duke Pellings.